Constituency project is corruption – Obasanjo

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo may have started another war
with the members of the National Assembly when he described the
constituency projects being embarked upon by the lawmakers as
“corruption.”

Obasanjo said this at the opening of a two-day investment forum
organised by the Niger State Government in Minna on Monday.

The forum had “Impact of Investing for Advancing Agricultural
Economy and Innovation,” as its theme.

Obasanjo said, “The Sultan talked about roads, I hope our
lawmakers will use their position and act positively so that when
they put in road projects in the budget they will not turn it into
what they now term as constituency projects.

“You and I know what constituency projects mean. It is simply
corruption.”

The former President had been involved in verbal wars with the
members of the National Assembly during and after his time in
office.

He once, reportedly, described the federal lawmakers as a “bunch
of corrupt elements,” provoking the lawmakers to, in turn, describe
him as “the father of corruption in Nigeria.”

Obasanjo said federal and state governments should embark on
massive rural and urban road construction to facilitate the
movement of agricultural products from the farms to the
markets.

“If there is anything that will take us out of recession, it is
agriculture; that is the only renewable business we can do to give
us all the job creation, wealth creation that we need,” he
said.

Also speaking, a former military Head of State General
Abdulsalami Abubakar, noted that in another 33 years, the world
population would hit the nine billion mark with Nigeria accounting
for five per cent of this global population, stating also that by
then food would be the greatest challenge.

Abubakar, therefore, advised that everything should be done to
increase the cultivation of food and cash crops in the country to
avoid the anticipated food shortage.

The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, in his address, said
the forum was not a talk shop, as was feared by some of the
participants.

“The decisions and recommendations will be implemented,” Bello
said.

The governor said over 400,000 hectares of land was available in
the Borgu Local Government Area of the state and another 500,000
hectares in the Lavun Local Government Area suitable for the
cultivation of rice and sugarcane and therefore asked investors to
take advantage of this opportunity.

Declaring the summit opened, the acting President, Yemi
Osinbajo, announced that states willing to partner the Federal
Government to develop federal infrastructure would be encouraged to
do so.

Osibanjo said that the country’s quest for diversification “does
not lie in hydrocarbon; the solution is to transform
agriculture.”

FORMER President Olusegun Obasanjo may have started another war
with the members of the National Assembly when he described the
constituency projects being embarked upon by the lawmakers as
“corruption.”

Obasanjo said this at the opening of a two-day investment forum
organised by the Niger State Government in Minna on
Monday.

The forum had “Impact of Investing for Advancing Agricultural
Economy and Innovation,” as its theme.

Obasanjo said, “The Sultan talked about roads, I hope our
lawmakers will use their position and act positively so that when
they put in road projects in the budget they will not turn it into
what they now term as constituency projects.

“You and I know what constituency projects mean. It is simply
corruption.”

The former President had been involved in verbal wars with the
members of the National Assembly during and after his time in
office.

He once, reportedly, described the federal lawmakers as a “bunch
of corrupt elements,” provoking the lawmakers to, in turn, describe
him as “the father of corruption in Nigeria.”

Obasanjo said federal and state governments should embark on
massive rural and urban road construction to facilitate the
movement of agricultural products from the farms to the
markets.

“If there is anything that will take us out of recession, it is
agriculture; that is the only renewable business we can do to give
us all the job creation, wealth creation that we need,” he
said.

Also speaking, a former military Head of State General
Abdulsalami Abubakar, noted that in another 33 years, the world
population would hit the nine billion mark with Nigeria accounting
for five per cent of this global population, stating also that by
then food would be the greatest challenge.

Abubakar, therefore, advised that everything should be done to
increase the cultivation of food and cash crops in the country to
avoid the anticipated food shortage.

The Niger State Governor, Abubakar Bello, in his address, said
the forum was not a talk shop, as was feared by some of the
participants.

“The decisions and recommendations will be implemented,” Bello
said.

The governor said over 400,000 hectares of land was available in
the Borgu Local Government Area of the state and another 500,000
hectares in the Lavun Local Government Area suitable for the
cultivation of rice and sugarcane and therefore asked investors to
take advantage of this opportunity.

Declaring the summit opened, the acting President, Yemi
Osinbajo, announced that states willing to partner the Federal
Government to develop federal infrastructure would be encouraged to
do so.

Osibanjo said that the country’s quest for diversification “does
not lie in hydrocarbon; the solution is to transform
agriculture.”